Paul’s letter to the church in Rome is stunning and powerful. We have been journeying through this incredible text all summer long as he builds a case for your salvation which rests firmly in the hands of our God. The foundational statement came back in chapter 6 where Paul said, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were buried, therefore, with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” The cross of Christ, with all that it means – payment for sin, the justification of God, the promise of freedom – all of that becomes yours in the waters of Holy Baptism. It is a death to the old and a birth to the new life, an assurance of eternal life completely in the hands of your Lord.

From this foundation, Paul has moved on to provide us great hope and encouragement as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, as we endure through the twists and turns, ups and downs of daily life. He is not aloof from the struggles we feel within our own lives, the battle that wages within ourselves. Over and again, he directs us to the promises of God, to the gift of Baptism, and to our identity in Christ. From this he can make the bold claim, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Who indeed! He who called you in the faith will not abandon you in your time of need. It is a message of incredible hope and even boldness for us all. In the midst of a world which seems, at times, to be going crazy. In the midst of pain, suffering, treachery, and disappointment, you remain children of God.

And all of this makes today’s reading even more poignant, as he allows us to ponder for a moment the flip side of this gift of faith. What he is met with is profound grief, an anguish that cuts him to his core, not for his own salvation but for those whom he has loved, for his own people. He says, “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.”  He remembers his kinsmen, his brothers he grew up with, that he studied alongside. He knew their quality. He knew them to be earnest and eager for the ways of God. They attended to the teaching of the rabbis. They were proud of their heritage, but they did not believe in Christ. They did not trust in the promises of the Messiah. They did not have an experience like Paul did on the road to Damascus. So, Paul wishes that he himself could be cut off from the hope he has. If only they could be included, he would sacrifice himself for their salvation.

After all, everything was stacked in their favor. They were given the covenants and the Law, the proper worship, and the promises of God. To them belonged the patriarchs, and of their lineage was born the promised seed which would crush the head of the serpent and bring redemption to mankind. Yet, it is as Saint John said, “He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him.” In their rejection of Christ, they have turned aside from the very means of eternal life. There is no other name under Heaven by which mankind will be saved. All their worship and promises pointed to this redeemer, but in stubborn disobedience it all falls apart.

And this sentiment of Paul, this longing for those he loves, makes sense to us. For we too have those we love, those we cherish in our lives for whom our hearts ache because they do not believe. They are good people, people who inspire us. They are kind and generous. They are insightful and faithful to their word. Yet, they do not believe. Perhaps, they never did. They never gave it much thought, and though we have tried to witness to them, tried to speak the truth in love and show by our actions the grace and forgiveness of God, they remain outside of the household of the faithful. Or, maybe, they grew up in the Church. They may be your own family members who at one time confessed the faith alongside you. But over time something changed, something turned them away from the promises of God, and they rejected what they once had, and stopped gathering around the gifts of God.

What Paul makes clear through his tears and grief is that the assurance of salvation does not come through lineage or bloodlines. It is not secured by the external trappings of ritual observance. In fact, perhaps, this text works as a warning to us all. If we place our hope in anything other than Christ for eternal salvation, we may be in danger of losing it. It is not our works, our effort, or our devotion to the traditions that will save us, but complete and total dependence on Christ. As Paul declares, “It is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.”

The call of the faith is the death of the flesh and the awakening of the promise. It moves you from the uncertainty of your own works to the absolute certainty of God’s work. Now, do not get me wrong, this is not pleasant. It is not something we eagerly grasp. It is often a painful reality. The call of faith will kill the things you love. It will reveal them to be shallow and weak, temporary and drifting. You will fight and scrape to hold on to them, for the things you have built in this life give you your identity, your sense of purpose and meaning. It may be your job, your reputation, or your social standing among your friends and family. But the promise of Christ does not consider such things. It does not grant you status by your deeds. In fact, later, Paul will say, “God has consigned all to disobedience, that He may have mercy on all.” All are disobedient, all are under judgment, and the only hope is through the mercy of God.

Your hope, your confidence rests in the absolute and unshakable love of God who has made you the promise of life and salvation through Christ alone. So, how do you know? How can you be sure that such gifts are yours, that the eternal workings of God are in fact for you? Through the promise. I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Take, eat; this is My body given for you. Take, drink; this is My blood shed for you. Christ Himself is present in His Word of promise, in His gifts of death and life, of new birth and eternal feeding, proclaiming you to be forgiven, to be the saints of the Most High, and to be children of promise.